Meaning & use
Tensed
Last updated
Made or became tight, stiff, or ready for action, especially due to stress or anticipation.
See it in a sentence
Her shoulders tensed as soon as she heard the news.
He tensed his muscles before lifting the heavy crate.
A note on using this word
As an adjective, 'tensed' describes a state of physical or nervous tightness, distinct from 'tense' used to describe grammatical verb forms.
Words with a similar meaning
tightenedstiffened
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
relaxedloosened
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Having a particular grammatical tense applied, as of a verb.
The sentence was rewritten with the verb properly tensed for the past.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Tensed”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.